Fact-checked by Grok 2 weeks ago

Frasnian

The Frasnian is the lowermost chronostratigraphic stage of the Upper Devonian Series within the Devonian System, encompassing the interval from approximately 382.31 ± 1.36 million years ago to 372.15 ± 0.46 million years ago (as per the 2024 International Chronostratigraphic Chart).^[1] Defined by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS), its base coincides with the lower boundary of the Upper Devonian at the first appearance of the conodont Ancyrodella rotundiloba (belonging to the Lower asymmetricus Zone), located at the base of Bed 42' in Section E of the Col du Puech de la Suque in the Montagne Noire region of southern France (coordinates: 43°30′12″N 3°05′12″E).^[2] This stage represents a period of significant marine transgression and the proliferation of diverse shallow-water ecosystems, particularly extensive carbonate platforms and reef systems built primarily by stromatoporoids, tabulate and rugose corals, and microbialites.^[3]^[4] During the Frasnian, global sea levels rose progressively, initiating with the Taghanic onlap and fostering widespread deposition of limestones, shales, and evaporites across epicontinental seas, while tectonic activity influenced basin development in regions like the Appalachian and Michigan basins.^[4] Paleontological records highlight a peak in biodiversity, with key fossil groups including conodonts for biostratigraphy, goniatites such as Probeloceras and Petteroceras feisti, brachiopods, trilobites, and early tetrapod precursors in marginal marine settings.^[2] Reef ecosystems reached their Devonian zenith, forming vast buildups up to hundreds of meters thick in areas like the Canning Basin (Australia) and the Canadian Arctic, supporting complex symbiotic relationships between photosymbiotic organisms and supporting a rich array of marine invertebrates.^[5]^[3] The stage's close is defined by the Frasnian-Famennian boundary, marked by the Kellwasser Event—a series of anoxic pulses (Lower and Upper Kellwasser horizons) that drove one of the "Big Five" Phanerozoic mass extinctions, leading to significant losses among marine genera (estimated 50-60%), including many reef-builders like stromatoporoids and major coral families, alongside reef collapse and disruptions to global carbon cycles.^[6]^[7]^[8] This event, occurring around 372 Ma, is linked to sea-level fluctuations, volcanism, and possible asteroid impacts, with black shales recording elevated organic carbon burial and isotopic excursions.^[4]^[6] Post-extinction recovery was protracted, setting the stage for Famennian ecosystems with reduced reef complexity and shifts toward microbial-dominated structures.^[3] The Frasnian's stratigraphic record, correlated globally via conodont zonation (e.g., Palmatolepis and Ancyrognathus zones), provides critical insights into Late Devonian environmental dynamics and evolutionary turning points.^[2]

Definition and Nomenclature

Etymology and Historical Development

The name "Frasnian" derives from the village of Frasnes-lez-Couvin in Belgium, where significant Upper Devonian exposures occur. The term first appeared in geological literature as "Système du Calcaire de Frasnes" in reference to limestone formations in the region, introduced by Jean-Baptiste-Julien d'Omalius d'Halloy in 1862.^[9] This informal designation was part of early 19th-century efforts to classify Upper Devonian rocks across Europe, often without precise boundaries, reflecting regional lithostratigraphic correlations in Belgium and northern France.^[9] In 1879, French geologist Jules Gosselet formally proposed "Frasnian" (Frasnien) as a chronostratigraphic stage for the lower portion of the Upper Devonian, distinguishing it from overlying Famennian rocks based on fossil assemblages and lithology in the Dinant Synclinorium.^[9] Initially applied regionally in Belgian and French stratigraphy, the term gained traction through subsequent works that refined its scope, such as studies on conodont biostratigraphy that helped correlate Frasnian sequences across the Ardennes. By the 1970s, international efforts under the Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy (SDS) addressed ambiguities in stage definitions, incorporating conodont zonations to standardize boundaries.^[10]^[11] The Frasnian stage names for the Upper Devonian were adopted by the Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy (SDS) in 1981 and ratified by the International Commission on Stratigraphy (ICS) in 1985, following SDS recommendations that elevated it from regional usage to a unit of the international chronostratigraphic scale.^[11] This acceptance built on 1970s revisions, including Klapper's 1988 documentation of Frasnian conodont successions in the Montagne Noire, which supported precise global correlations and distinguished the stage from earlier informal European applications. The transition to international standard emphasized biostratigraphic consistency, ensuring the Frasnian's role in the Devonian timescale.^[11]

Global Stratotype Section and Point

The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for the base of the Frasnian Stage, which also marks the base of the Upper Devonian Series, is designated at the Col du Puech de la Suque section E in the Montagne Noire region of southern France, with coordinates 43.5032°N, 3.0868°E.^[12] This site was ratified by the International Union of Geological Sciences in 1987, following proposals developed through the Subcommission on Devonian Stratigraphy.^[13] The boundary is placed at the base of Bed 42a', defined by the first appearance datum (FAD) of the conodont species Ancyrodella rotundiloba s.l., within the Lower asymmetricus Conodont Zone.^[14] The lithology at this locality consists primarily of red and grey pelagic calcilutites, representing a hemipelagic depositional environment conducive to the preservation of conodont faunas.^[2] The GSSP for the upper boundary of the Frasnian Stage, which defines the base of the overlying Famennian Stage, is located at the Upper Coumiac Quarry near Cessenon in the Montagne Noire, southern France, at coordinates 43.4613°N, 3.0403°E.^[12] Ratification occurred in 1993 by the International Commission on Stratigraphy and the International Union of Geological Sciences, based on detailed biostratigraphic analysis.^[15] The boundary level is drawn at the base of Bed 32a, coinciding with the FAD of the conodont Palmatolepis triangularis in the P. triangularis Zone, immediately above the Upper Kellwasser Event and associated biotic turnover. Lithologically, the section features well-bedded, mostly red-tinted pelagic calcilutites, with a notable hypoxic dark grey calcilutite to calcarenite in the underlying Bed 31g, supporting rich conodont assemblages.^[16] These GSSP sections in the Montagne Noire provide robust frameworks for global correlation, integrating conodont biostratigraphy with auxiliary data such as magnetic polarity zonations and carbon isotope excursions. For instance, magnetostratigraphic susceptibility patterns across the Frasnian-Famennian boundary enable regional and interbasinal alignments, while δ¹³C variations help anchor the boundaries to broader paleoenvironmental signals.^[17]^[18]

Stratigraphy

Lower Boundary

The lower boundary of the Frasnian Stage, marking the Givetian-Frasnian transition in the Middle to Upper Devonian, is defined by the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) located at the Col du Puech de la Suque section in the Montagne Noire region of southern France.^[2] This boundary corresponds to the first appearance datum (FAD) of the conodont species Ancyrodella rotundiloba, which serves as the primary biostratigraphic marker and defines the base of the Lower Polygnathus asymmetricus Conodont Zone.^[2]^[19] Auxiliary markers supporting this boundary include the disappearance of key Givetian index fossils, such as the conodont Ancyrognathus triangularis, which characterizes the uppermost Givetian Ancyrognathus triangularis Zone and vanishes at or just below the transition. Correlations are further aided by associated faunal changes in ostracods, such as the initial diversification of Frasnian-specific platycopid and podocopid assemblages, and brachiopods, including the turnover from Givetian-dominated rhynchonellid-spiriferid communities to early Frasnian forms.^[20]^[21] The absolute age of the Frasnian base is estimated at 382.31 ± 1.36 Ma, derived from integrated U-Pb zircon dating of volcanic ashes and cyclostratigraphic analysis of sedimentary cycles in Devonian sections.^[1] Global correlation of this boundary faces challenges outside European type sections due to lithofacies variations and hiatuses; for instance, in North America, the Cedar Valley Group of the midcontinent records the uppermost Givetian but requires conodont and brachiopod tie-points to align with the Frasnian onset in overlying units like the Little Cedar Formation, often complicated by shallow-water carbonate dominance.^[22] Similarly, in Australia, sections in the Canning Basin exhibit reefal and fore-reef facies that obscure precise placement of the A. rotundiloba FAD, necessitating auxiliary palynological and carbon isotope correlations.^[23]

Upper Boundary

The upper boundary of the Frasnian Stage, which defines the transition to the Famennian Stage of the Upper Devonian, is formally delineated by the first appearance datum (FAD) of the conodont species Palmatolepis triangularis at approximately 372.2 Ma.^[16]^[24] This biostratigraphic marker occurs within the lower P. triangularis Zone and has been ratified as the primary criterion for the Frasnian-Famennian (F/F) boundary by the International Commission on Stratigraphy. The Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) for this boundary is located at the upper Coumiac Quarry in the Montagne Noire region of southern France, where the FAD of P. triangularis is recorded in a thin limestone bed overlying anoxic sediments.^[16] This boundary coincides with the Upper Kellwasser anoxic event, characterized by widespread deposition of organic-rich black shales indicative of oceanic anoxia, and marks the onset of the Late Devonian mass extinction.^[25]^[24] Correlation across global sections relies on multiple lines of evidence, including positive carbon isotope excursions in carbonate (δ¹³C up to +3‰) and organic matter, which reflect perturbations in the global carbon cycle linked to enhanced burial of organic carbon during anoxic episodes.^[24]^[26] Additional markers include the development of black shales and the dwarfing (Lilliput effect) observed in surviving fossil taxa, such as brachiopods and conodonts, signaling ecological stress from environmental deterioration.^[27]^[28] In Europe, the boundary is prominently exposed in the Rheinisches Schiefergebirge of Germany, where the Upper Kellwasser horizons consist of bituminous limestones and shales that encapsulate the anoxic event and conodont turnover.^[29] In North America, equivalent strata occur within the Genesee Group of New York State, particularly in the Hanover Shale, where black shales and isotopic shifts align with the FAD of P. triangularis amid reduced benthic diversity.^[30] These sections facilitate precise global correlation, emphasizing the boundary's role as a horizon of profound paleoenvironmental change.^[31]

Subdivisions and Zonation

The Frasnian Stage is internally subdivided using a standard conodont biozonation scheme consisting of 13 zones (Montagne Noire zonation), which provides a precise chronostratigraphic framework for global correlation based on the evolutionary succession and first appearances of key conodont species.^[32] This zonation spans the entire stage, from the Early Frasnian Ancyrodella rotundiloba Zone (Zone 1) at the base to the Late Frasnian Palmatolepis linguiformis Zone (Zone 13, often subdivided) at the top. The zones reflect short temporal intervals, collectively encompassing approximately 10 million years, with durations varying from about 0.5 to 1.5 million years per zone based on integrated biostratigraphic and geochronologic data. The top of the Frasnian is dated at 372.15 ± 0.46 Ma via U-Pb zircon geochronology from volcanic ash layers at the Frasnian-Famennian boundary stratotype.^[1] Key zones within this scheme include the timorensis, hassi, punctata, and rhomboidea zones, each characterized by distinctive conodont assemblages that facilitate high-resolution dating. The timorensis Zone, in the lower Frasnian, is defined by the total range of Ancyrodella timorensis and associated species like A. curvata, representing an early phase of conodont diversification in shallow-marine settings. The hassi Zone, in the middle Frasnian, is delimited by the interval from the first appearance of Palmatolepis hassi to the base of the overlying zone, featuring assemblages dominated by Palmatolepis and Ancyrognathus species. The punctata Zone precedes it, based on the range of Palmatolepis punctata, while the rhomboidea Zone in the upper middle Frasnian is identified by the occurrence of Palmatolepis rhomboidea alongside subordinate forms like Icriodus symmetricus. These zones are calibrated against a composite standard section derived from multiple global localities, ensuring temporal consistency. The detailed 13 zones are: 1. Ancyrodella rotundiloba (early form), 2. Ancyrodella rotundiloba (late form), 3. Ancyrodella rugosa, 4. Palmatolepis transitans, 5. Palmatolepis punctata, 6. Ancyrognathus primus, 7. Ozarkodina nonaginta, 8. Palmatolepis aff. P. proversa, 9. Palmatolepis proversa, 10. Palmatolepis plana, 11. Palmatolepis sp. B, 12. Palmatolepis winchelli, 13. Palmatolepis bogartensis (with subdivisions in the terminal zone).^[33]^[32] Regional variations in subdivision occur due to lithofacies differences and local biostratigraphic markers. In North America, the Frasnian is often divided into informal stages such as the Threeforksian, which corresponds to the upper Frasnian zones (rhenana to linguiformis equivalents) and is typified by carbonate-evaporite sequences in the Williston Basin. In Europe, particularly France, the stage aligns with lithostratigraphic units like the Ferques Formation, which spans the middle Frasnian punctata to hassi zones in the Boulonnais region, characterized by argillaceous marls with conodont faunas.^[34] Stratigraphic correlation of these subdivisions relies on integrating conodont biozones with auxiliary fossil groups, including trilobites (e.g., ranges of Greenops and Phacops species) and sparse Devonian graptolite faunas (e.g., Retiolites in upper Frasnian equivalents), alongside radiometric constraints. This multi-proxy approach allows precise alignment of regional schemes to the global standard, with conodonts serving as the primary tool for intercontinental matching.

Paleoenvironment

Paleogeography

During the Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian, the supercontinent Laurussia, comprising Laurentia and Baltica (collectively known as Euramerica), occupied the northern hemisphere and was drifting northward toward higher latitudes, while Gondwana was centered over the South Pole, encompassing present-day South America, Africa, India, Australia, and Antarctica.^[35]^[36] This configuration marked the early stages of Pangea assembly, driven by the convergence of Laurussia and Gondwana following the closure of the Rheic Ocean, which separated these landmasses.^[37] The Rheic Ocean, which had widened significantly in the Silurian, began narrowing in the Early Devonian through subduction beneath both Baltica and northwestern Gondwana, initiating the Variscan Orogeny by the Late Devonian.^[37]^[35] A prominent feature of Frasnian paleogeography was the development of extensive epicontinental seas across North America, particularly within the Appalachian foreland basin, where shallow marine environments covered much of the continent due to flexural loading from the ongoing Acadian Orogeny along the eastern margin of Laurentia.^[38]^[39] This orogeny, part of the broader Appalachian deformation, resulted from oblique collision and produced a retroarc foreland basin that accumulated thick sequences of sediments.^[40] The Paleotethys Ocean to the east was actively spreading, contributing to rifting and volcanism, such as in Siberia's Viluy rift, while subduction zones along Laurussia's southern margin fueled arc magmatism.^[35] Sedimentary environments during the Frasnian were dominated by mixed carbonate-siliciclastic systems, with widespread carbonate platforms developing in stable cratonic areas. In western Canada, the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin hosted prominent platforms like the Leduc Formation reefs and the Hull platform, characterized by skeletal grainstones, bioherms, and cyclic aggradational sequences in shallow subtidal to peritidal settings.^[41]^[42] Similarly, in Australia, the Canning Basin featured syn-tectonic carbonate platforms with reef margins and backstepping due to fault-block rotation and sea-level fluctuations.^[43] Along the Appalachian margin, clastic wedges from the Acadian Orogeny prograded westward into the foreland basin, forming coarsening-upward sequences of sandstones and shales that interfingered with carbonates, reflecting tectonic uplift and sediment supply from eroding highlands.^[44]^[45] The tropical belt, spanning approximately 30°S to 30°N, was the primary locus for reef development, hosting diverse stromatoporoid-coral assemblages in warm, shallow waters across equatorial regions.^[46] In Canada, Frasnian reefs on Banks Island and in the Arctic extended to paleolatitudes of 0° to 10°N, forming patch and barrier structures up to 2 km in diameter within deltaic to open-marine settings.^[47] These reefs thrived on stable platforms amid oscillating sea levels, contributing to extensive carbonate deposition before the Frasnian-Famennian transition.^[46]

Paleoclimate and Sea Level Changes

The Frasnian stage was characterized by a warm greenhouse climate, with global average temperatures reaching approximately 21°C by the late Frasnian, driven by elevated atmospheric CO₂ levels estimated at 700-1400 ppm (recent reconstructions as of 2022). Recent modeling (as of 2024) confirms Frasnian global mean surface temperatures around 21-25°C, reflecting peak Late Devonian warmth.^[48]^[49] This warming trend from earlier Devonian stages is evidenced by conodont apatite oxygen isotope (δ¹⁸O) values ranging from 16‰ to 19‰, indicating tropical seawater temperatures of 30–35°C in low-latitude settings.^[50]^[51] Carbonate δ¹⁸O values around -5.2‰ further support these elevated temperatures, reflecting minimal ice volume and a lack of permanent polar ice caps throughout the period.^[51] Sea levels during the Frasnian exhibited significant eustatic variations, with a prominent highstand in the mid-Frasnian associated with widespread marine transgressions. The semichatovae event, marking a major sea-level rise at the Middle-Late Frasnian boundary (within conodont Zone 11), is documented across paleocontinental shelves through condensed ferruginous deposits and shifts in conodont assemblages, indicating deepened water conditions.^[52]^[53] This highstand facilitated expanded shallow marine environments, but was followed by a regression in the late Frasnian, evident in facies transitions from deep-shelf mudstones to shallower carbonates in regions like the Algerian Sahara.^[52] Precursors to oceanic anoxia developed through stratified ocean waters, promoting the deposition of organic-rich black shales such as those in the Kellwasser horizons. These conditions arose from enhanced nutrient recycling, with elevated total phosphorus (P_tot) levels indicating increased terrestrial influx that fueled eutrophication and oxygen depletion in bottom waters.^[54] The expansion of land plants during this time contributed to nutrient export, exacerbating water column stratification and anoxic events without major polar cooling.^[55] Regional climate variations were pronounced, with humid conditions prevailing in the tropical equatorial belt (approximately 35°N to 20°S), as inferred from high miospore diversity suggesting hot and wet environments. In contrast, Gondwana's subtropical margins experienced more arid conditions, marked by reduced miospore morphological complexity and diversity in areas like North Africa and Brazil, reflecting drier atmospheric circulation patterns.^[56]

Biota and Ecosystems

Marine Life

During the Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian, marine ecosystems exhibited remarkable diversity, particularly in tropical shallow-water environments where reef-building organisms dominated. Stromatoporoids, an extinct group of sponges, served as primary framework builders in these reefs, forming low-profile, encrusting structures that supported complex communities. Associated with them were tabulate corals, such as the branching genus Thamnopora, which contributed to the structural complexity of bioherms and biostromes across epicontinental seas. These reefs flourished in warm, clear waters, hosting a variety of associated fauna including rugose corals and early calcifying algae, though stromatoporoid and tabulate coral assemblages showed signs of declining vigor toward the late Frasnian, with reduced framework development in some regions.^[57]^[58]^[59] Microfossils like conodonts reached a peak in diversity during the Frasnian, with the genus Ancyrodella encompassing at least 17 species, including A. pristina and A. lobata, which were abundant in platform and slope deposits. Similarly, Palmatolepis species exhibited high morphological variety and widespread distribution in open marine settings, reflecting adaptations to varying water depths and oxygenation levels. These conodont elements, derived from eel-like chordates, indicate thriving pelagic and benthic communities in oxygenated shelf environments. Placoderms, the dominant jawed fishes of the period, displayed substantial diversity, including arthrodire forms like Eastmanosteus, while early sharks, such as those from the Gogo Formation, began to appear, signaling the onset of chondrichthyan radiation in marine habitats.^[60]^[61]^[62] Benthic invertebrates were integral to Frasnian seafloors, with ammonoids like Manticoceras inhabiting shale and concretion-rich deposits in deeper basins. Brachiopods, exemplified by the spiriferid Cyrtospirifer, formed dense assemblages in carbonate platforms, often co-occurring with trilobites such as Phacops in muddy, low-energy settings. These groups contributed to stable, suspension-feeding communities in both shallow and deeper waters. Overall, Frasnian marine ecosystems featured expansive tropical reefs in epeiric seas, contrasted by dysaerobic deep-water faunas with low-diversity, opportunistic biotas; the seas fringing the Old Red Continent represented a key biodiversity hotspot, supporting prolific reefal and pelagic life.^[63]^[64]^[65]^[66]

Terrestrial and Freshwater Developments

During the Frasnian, vascular plants underwent significant diversification, with progymnosperms such as Archaeopteris forming extensive forests across continental interiors, particularly in regions like Euramerica and Gondwana. These trees, reaching heights of over 10 meters with fern-like fronds and wood resembling modern seed plants, dominated landscapes and marked the establishment of the first widespread forest ecosystems.^[55]^[67] Archaeopteris forests contributed to a notable scarcity of fossil charcoal, known as the "charcoal gap," attributed to atmospheric oxygen levels below 13–16%, which limited wildfire propagation despite the presence of flammable vegetation.^[68] Understory vegetation included lycopsids, such as arborescent forms with cormose bases and ribbon-like roots spaced 15–20 cm apart, forming dense stands in paleoequatorial settings like Svalbard, alongside fern-like plants that occupied wetland margins.^[69]^[70] Terrestrial fauna during the Frasnian featured early colonizers, including arthropods such as millipedes (with Silurian origins) and primitive insects (originating in the Early Devonian), which exploited the expanding plant cover for habitat and food.^[71] Precursors to tetrapods, like the elpistostegalian fish Elpistostege and Panderichthys, inhabited shallow freshwater environments and exhibited limb-like fins adapted for weight-bearing, representing a key transitional stage toward fully terrestrial vertebrates.^[72] In freshwater systems, sarcopterygian fishes including lungfish (Dipnoi) thrived, with species like Rhinodipterus from the Gogo Formation in Australia demonstrating adaptations such as paired nostrils and robust tooth plates for bottom-dwelling in oxygen-poor waters.^[73] Fluvial environments in Euramerica supported these biotic developments, with river systems and deltaic plains facilitating sediment transport and nutrient distribution, as evidenced by tidally influenced channels in formations like the Ogre Formation.^[74] Peat-forming mires were largely absent during the Frasnian, likely due to limited anoxic conditions in wetlands and rapid organic decay under fluctuating low-oxygen atmospheres, preventing widespread coal accumulation until the Famennian.^[75] This vascular plant diversification enabled the initial formation of stable soils through root systems that stabilized sediments and enhanced weathering, releasing nutrients like phosphorus and fostering pedogenesis across newly vegetated landscapes.^[55]^[67] These milestones supported the transition from barren terrains to complex terrestrial ecosystems, linking briefly to marine influences through nutrient runoff from rivers.^[76]

Major Geological Events

Biotic Crises and Extinctions

The Frasnian stage witnessed several biotic crises, beginning with the mid-Frasnian semichatovae event, a significant marine transgression that marked a turnover in conodont faunas. This event, occurring in the mid-to-late Frasnian, involved the widespread proliferation of the conodont species Palmatolepis semichatovae and associated biofacies shifts, reflecting ecological changes across shallow to deep-shelf environments in regions like North Gondwana and the Rhenish Massif.^[53]^[77] The transgression led to expanded anoxic conditions in basinal settings, contributing to localized faunal disruptions, though it did not trigger widespread extinction at the time.^[78] The late Frasnian culminated in more severe crises, primarily the Lower and Upper Kellwasser events around 372.5 Ma, which together form part of the Frasnian-Famennian boundary extinction. These pulses involved episodes of widespread marine anoxia and global cooling, leading to the loss of approximately 50-60% of marine genera, particularly affecting diverse shallow-marine ecosystems.^[79]^[80] The Lower Kellwasser event initiated benthic die-offs in epicontinental seas, while the Upper Kellwasser intensified anoxic horizons marked by organic-rich black shales across Europe, North America, and Asia.^[81]^[82] These events selectively targeted shallow-water benthos, decimating reef-builders such as stromatoporoids and rugose-tabulate corals, as well as brachiopods including the entire order Atrypida, while pelagic groups like ammonoids showed greater resilience as survivors.^[83]^[84] Hypothesized causes of these crises include large-scale volcanism from the Viluy Traps in Siberia, which released mercury and other volatiles, promoting ocean anoxia and acidification around the Frasnian-Famennian boundary.^[85] Bolide impacts, such as the proposed Siljan crater in Sweden (dated near 380 Ma but debated for precise linkage), may have contributed through shock spherules and environmental perturbation, though osmium isotope evidence questions a direct causal role.^[24]^[86] Additionally, eutrophication driven by terrestrial nutrient influx from expanding land plants exacerbated anoxic conditions in stratified epicontinental seas.^[55]

Tectonic and Orogenic Activity

During the Frasnian stage of the Late Devonian, the Variscan Orogeny represented a key phase of convergent tectonics along the southern margin of Euramerica, driven by north-dipping subduction of the Rheic Ocean lithosphere beneath the Gondwanan margin. This process initiated in the Early Devonian but intensified during the Late Devonian, leading to the accretion of terranes and the formation of the Hercynian (Variscan) belts across central and western Europe, including the Armorican Massif and Bohemian Massif. Subduction-related magmatism and metamorphism produced high-pressure assemblages, with deformational phases such as the Bretonian event (ca. 380–360 Ma) marking early collisional pulses that deformed sedimentary basins along the plate boundary.^[87]^[88] In western North America, the Antler Orogeny commenced in the early Late Devonian (Frasnian), involving the oblique collision of an island arc terrane (the Roberts Mountains allochthon) with the passive continental margin of Laurentia. This event generated significant tectonic shortening and uplift in present-day Nevada and Idaho, resulting in the obduction of oceanic crust and the deposition of thick clastic sediments, including turbidites and conglomerates, into adjacent foreland basins such as the Chainman and Diamond Range sub-basins. The orogeny produced a regional highland that shed detritus northward and eastward, with synorogenic flysch sequences recording basin inversion and thrust loading by the late Frasnian.^[89]^[90] Concurrent with these collisional events, extensional tectonics facilitated rifting along the northern Gondwana margin, contributing to the initial opening of the Paleotethys Ocean between Gondwana and the northward-drifting Cimmerian terranes. This rifting, active from the Late Silurian through the Late Devonian, involved lithospheric thinning and normal faulting in regions now part of the Mediterranean and Iranian ranges, promoting the separation of microcontinents like South China and Indochina. Associated magmatism included precursors to large igneous provinces, notably the emplacement of the Viluy (Yakutsk) Traps in eastern Siberia around 375–372 Ma, characterized by flood basalts and sills that covered over 500,000 km² and signaled plume-related activity linked to regional extension.^[91]^[24] These tectonic processes had profound sedimentary impacts, as orogenic uplift from the Variscan and Antler events increased clastic input to pericratonic basins, filling accommodation space and contributing to eustatic sea-level fluctuations through enhanced weathering and sediment flux. In particular, the influx of terrigenous material into epicontinental seas promoted basin restriction and organic carbon accumulation, fostering conditions for anoxic events by altering water column stratification and nutrient dynamics.^[87]^[89]

References

[1]
Chronostratigraphic Chart - International Commission on Stratigraphy
This page contains the latest version of the International Chronostratigraphic Chart (v2024-12) which visually presents the time periods and hierarchy of ...
[2]
GSSP for Frasnian Stage - International Commission on Stratigraphy
The base of the Frasnian Stage which coincides with the base of the Upper Devonian is defined at the base of Bed 42' at Col du Puech de la Suque section E.
[3]
Functional consequences of Palaeozoic reef collapse - Nature
Jan 26, 2022 · Our results suggest that the collapse of the huge Devonian reef systems was correlated with a breakdown of photosymbiosis and extinction of photosymbiotic ...Introduction · Results · Discussion
[4]
Late Devonian sea-level changes, catastrophic events, and mass ...
Generally rising sea level during the initial Frasnian Stage, beginning with the Taghanic onlap and ending with a sea-level fall and major mass extinction, was ...
[5]
Distribution, geometry and palaeogeography of the Frasnian (Late ...
The reefs represent a range of geometries, from small circular to oval patch reefs a few tens of metres in diameter and <5–10 m thick, to larger prominent ...Abstract · Banks Island: Background And... · C-Level Reefs (fig. 6)
[6]
Anchoring the Late Devonian mass extinction in absolute time by ...
Jul 31, 2020 · This study confirms that the succession of events within the Upper Kellwasser event is paced by obliquity, under a low-eccentricity orbit.
[7]
Late Devonian “Kellwasser Event” mass-extinction horizon in Germany
Jun 1, 2017 · We report here the results of an extensive geochemical analysis of the Kellwasser stratigraphic interval in a section with exceptional conodont zonal control.
[8]
[PDF] FRASNIAN - ORBi
The modern definition of the Frasnian is based on conodonts and the historical background of the stage is developed in detail herein. Data about the ...
[9]
[PDF] Assessment of an old stratotype: the Frasnian/Famennian boundary
Paper, 1970/8: 1-11. Bouckaert, J. & Ziegler, W., 1965. Conodont stratigraphy of the Famennian stage (Upper Devonian) ...
[10]
Defining the Devonian: 1979â•'89
The names of the stages of the Middle and Upper series wcrc adopted by SDS in 1981, and those of the Lower series in 1983; thesc formcd two submissions to ICS/ ...
[11]
GSSP Table - Paleozoic Era - Geologic TimeScale Foundation
Frasnian Stage, 378.9 ± 1.2, Col du Puech de la Suque, Montage Noire, France, 43.5032°N 3.0868°E, base of Bed 42a' at Col du Puech de la Suque section E ...
[12]
https://timescalefoundation.org/gssp/index.php?parentid=77
[13]
https://www.episodes.org/journal/view.html?doi=10.18814/epiiugs/1987/v10i2/004
[14]
Definition of the Frasnian/Famennian Stage boundary - episodes.org
The boundary for the Fransnian/Famennian Stage Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) has been ratified by ICS and IUGS and is drawn in a section exposed ...
[15]
GSSP for Famennian Stage
The GSSP section is located above the upper Coumiac Quarry, near Cessenon, Montagne Noire, France. The section is situated in the southeastern Montagne ...
[16]
Magnetostratigraphy susceptibility of the Frasnian/Famennian ...
This characteristic is very different from remanent magnetism, the intrinsic permanent magnetization that accounts for the magnetic polarity of materials.
[17]
A negative carbon isotope anomaly associated with the earliest ...
The earliest Lopingian crisis (50% extinction in marine genera) appears even stronger in magnitude than the end-Frasnian (41%), end-Triassic (46%), and end- ...
[18]
(PDF) Growth of early species of Ancyrodella and implications for ...
Aug 10, 2025 · The first occurrence of the conodont Ancyrodella rotundiloba has been used extensively for correlating the Middle-Upper Devonian (Givetian-Frasnian) boundary ...
[19]
Ostracods and rock facies across the Givetian/Frasnian boundary ...
Ostracods and rock facies across the Givetian/Frasnian boundary ... The Frasnian Pont d'Avignon Member contains a rich faunal assemblage (bryozoans brachiopods ...
[20]
[PDF] Faunal and facies changes at the Early–Middle Frasnian boundary ...
Brachiopod and ostracod faunas, characterized by predominance of rhynchonellids, spiriferids, podocopids, and platycopids in the Early Frasnian, and by ...
[21]
Conodont biostratigraphy of the Little Cedar and Lower Coralville ...
The Little Cedar and lower Coralville formations of the Cedar Valley Group (Middle Devonian) of Iowa were deposited on a cratonic, shallow-water, ...
[22]
FRASNIAN (UPPER DEVONIAN) CONODONT SUCCESSION AT ...
Mar 9, 2017 · The Horse Spring conodont succession in the Canning Basin replicates zones 6 through 13 of the thirteen-fold Frasnian zonation.
[23]
Precisely dating the Frasnian–Famennian boundary - Nature
Jun 22, 2018 · The Frasnian–Famennian boundary records one of the most catastrophic mass extinctions of the Phanerozoic Eon. Several possible causes for ...
[24]
Late Devonian “Kellwasser Event” mass-extinction horizon in Germany
Jun 1, 2017 · The hypothesis that the Late Devonian (Frasnian-Famennian) mass extinction was triggered by an asteroidal impact has received renewed ...
[25]
Carbon and sulfur isotope anomalies across the Frasnian ...
Jun 2, 2017 · At Medicine Lake, a similar δ13C excursion in organic carbon, from a background of −29‰ to a high of −26.5‰, is recorded across the F-F boundary ...
[26]
The Frasnian/Famennian boundary in central and eastern United ...
The Frasnian/Famennian (F/F) Boundary in the northern Appalachian Basin is found in the Hanover Shale and equivalent strata where it is locally associated ...Missing: Couvinian Gosselet
[27]
Chitinozoan response to the 'Kellwasser events': population ...
May 6, 2024 · The Lower Kellwasser Event is characterized by a drop in chitinozoan abundance and the run up to the Upper Kellwasser Event marks a period of ...<|separator|>
[28]
High-energy events in the Frasnian–Famennian boundary interval of ...
Jan 25, 2020 · Of all the Devonian stratigraphic boundaries, the Frasnian–Famennian transition (372.2 ± 1.6 Ma) preserves the record of one of the most ...
[29]
Revised correlation of the Frasnian–Famennian boundary and ...
These isotopic events are interpreted to record episodes of increased global productivity and organic carbon sequestration at the end of the Frasnian Stage.
[30]
[PDF] Conodonts frorn the Genesee Formation in Western New York
Jan 12, 1977 · not been found in New York; consequently, the boundary in New York cannot be recognized. The ranges of other species in the S. hermanni-P ...
[31]
Late Devonian paleogeography in the framework of global plate ...
Invited review article. Late Devonian paleogeography in the framework of global plate tectonics.
[32]
[PDF] The Search for Sedimentary Evidence of Glaciation during the ...
Jun 2, 2014 · The western edge of the landmass of Gondwana was positioned over the. South Pole in the Frasnian as well as in the Famennian (McGhee 2013 ...
[33]
[PDF] The Rheic Ocean - Geological Society of America
Dec 4, 2008 · Closure of the Rheic Ocean began in the. Devonian and was largely complete by the Mississippian as. Gondwana and Laurussia sutured to build ...Missing: Frasnian | Show results with:Frasnian
[34]
[PDF] Migration of the Acadian Orogen and foreland basin across the ...
The deformation front at the beginning of Frasnian time has been plotted in figure 10 on the basis of slender evidence. Deformed Eifelian carbonates at ...
[35]
Geochemical and Hydrographic Evolution of the Late Devonian ...
Aug 22, 2023 · The Appalachian Basin is an intracratonic foreland basin in eastern Laurentia filled with a thick sequence of mostly Paleozoic sedimentary ...
[36]
Chapter 4 The Appalachian Foreland Basin in Eastern United States
The Appalachian Basin is a composite, retroarc foreland basin that in many ways is the “type” foreland basin and the “type area” for the Wilson cycle.
[37]
(PDF) Carbon Isotope Chemostratigraphy of Frasnian Sequences in ...
The most probable explanation is that the Leduc reefs and associated carbonate platform in Alberta formed during a time of decreasing sea level, resulting in no ...
[38]
REVISED REGIONAL FRASNIAN SEQUENCE STRATIGRAPHIC ...
Jan 1, 2017 · Carbonate strata were widely deposited in the Alberta Basin during the Frasnian. These are well exposed in the Alberta Rocky Mountains and ...
[39]
Stratal architecture and platform evolution of an early Frasnian syn ...
Feb 12, 2013 · The Hull platform illustrates important elements of margin-attached carbonate platforms in a half-graben setting, including: (i) prominent, but ...
[40]
Catskill Clastic Wedge/Acadian Orogeny
The environments in the clastic wedge exist as a series of belts running parallel to the mountain front.
[41]
Basin analysis of the Acadian clastic wedge in northern West ...
Migration of Acadian clastic wedge shorelines and basinal facies was dominated by tectonic controls during the Frasnian Stage. Subsequent shifting of ...
[42]
Distribution, geometry and palaeogeography of the Frasnian (Late ...
Jan 1, 2009 · Reefs were developed at four different stratigraphic levels (termed the A, B, C and D levels) during early and middle Frasnian time, ...Missing: configurations | Show results with:configurations
[43]
Distribution, geometry and palaeogeography of the Frasnian (Late ...
Following the collapse of the >2000 km long Givetian (Middle Devonian) Inuitian/Ellesmere carbonate platform factory in arctic Canada, within the 0° to 10° ...
[44]
[PDF] A new model for the Kellwasser Anoxia Events (Late Devonian)
The. Frasnian–Famennian boundary is contained within the lower 3 m of the. Hongguleleng Formation at the Boulongour Reservoir section (Fig. 3) (Suttner et al ...
[45]
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/8511/
[46]
Ocean temperatures through the Phanerozoic reassessed - Nature
May 27, 2022 · We present a compilation of low-latitude (30° S–30° N) δ 18 O paleotemperatures for Phanerozoic carbonate and phosphate fossils and microfossils.
[47]
Frasnian (Upper Devonian) integrated facies analysis, magnetic ...
Oct 18, 2018 · The Frasnian Stage (Upper Devonian) is remarkable in that it preserved one of the major Palaeozoic sea-level rises (Haq & Shutter, Reference Haq ...
[48]
Detecting the late Frasnian semichatovae Event on the deep shelf of ...
The semichatovae Event is a mid-late Frasnian (Late Devonian) episode of a major marine transgression that coincides with the spread of the conodont ...
[49]
https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adk3705
[50]
The expansion of land plants during the Late Devonian contributed ...
Nov 29, 2023 · While an overall warming trend is observed through the Late Devonian, conodont oxygen isotope records from numerous studies suggest cooling ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[51]
(PDF) Late Frasnian-Famennian climates based on palynomorph ...
Aug 8, 2025 · Palynomorph distribution in Euramerica and western Gondwana, from the Latest Givetian to the Latest Famennian, may be explained, ...
[52]
Stromatoporoid palaeoecology in the Frasnian (Upper Devonian ...
Mar 14, 2011 · Stromatoporoids are the most abundant reef builders, are low-profile shapes and are associated with some branching tabulate and rugose corals.
[53]
Modern-type reef in ancient time - ScienceDirect.com
Jan 1, 2024 · The climax community is dominated by extraordinarily large, branching tabulate corals (mostly Thamnopora) ... tabulate corals and stromatoporoids ...
[54]
Reef development at the Frasnian/Famennian mass extinction ...
Aug 6, 2025 · Following an initial early rise after Late Givetian coral and stromatoporoid extinctions, reefs expanded for the last time during mid-Frasnian ...
[55]
[PDF] Revision of the Frasnian Late Devonian conodont genus Ancyrodella
2006 Ancyrodella gigas Youngquist (form 3 sensu Klapper,. 1988 (sic)). ... York Frasnian paper that was not published until 2016 (Klapper. & Kirchgasser 2016).
[56]
First Shark from the Late Devonian (Frasnian) Gogo Formation ...
May 28, 2015 · The fauna includes a high diversity (c. 50 species) of placoderms and osteichthyans, and a single acanthodian [41], but no previous ...
[57]
The Frasnian Age - Palaeos Paleozoic : Devonian
Middle Frasnian ammonoid faunas, that is those of the Cordatum zone, are characterized especially by the genus Mantioceras and Beloceras, although both continue ...<|control11|><|separator|>
[58]
[PDF] Frasnian (lower Upper Devonian) geology ofwestern New York as ...
The Frasnian-Famennian boundary is one of the major biotic events in the Phanerozoic, ... Famennian boundary in western New York State: GSA Special Paper 321, p.
[59]
Late Devonian benthic marine communities of the central ...
6 ago 2025 · These fossils include trilobites Phacops sp., ammonoids Manticoceras sp.,brachiopods Tylothyris sp., Aulacella sp., "Mucrospirifer" sp. and ...
[60]
The Devonian System of China, with a discussion on sea-level ...
1 ene 2009 · The Frasnian Zhuogedong Formation, about 177–218 m thick, consists of marls, limestones (reefs) and dolostones and is rich in brachiopods such ...
[61]
palaeoecology of the Givetian to Frasnian stromatoporoids from the ...
Nov 27, 2020 · Stromatoporoids are an extinct group of Palaeozoic sponges that dominated the Devonian carbonate buildups.Stromatoporoid-Microbialite... · Discussion · Stromatoporoid--Microbialite...
[62]
Enhanced terrestrial nutrient release during the Devonian ...
Nov 9, 2022 · While not seed-bearing, Archaeopteris is the first known plant to display characteristics common in modern seed plants, possessing leaves and ...
[63]
[PDF] The rise of fire: Fossil charcoal in late Devonian marine shales as an ...
Thus, there appears to be a significant 'charcoal gap' in the latest Middle Devonian and earliest Upper Devonian coinciding with a suggested O2 low of 13 ...
[64]
Lycopsid forests in the early Late Devonian paleoequatorial zone of ...
Dec 1, 2015 · In-situ trees are represented by internal casts of arborescent lycopsids with cormose bases and small ribbon-like roots occurring in dense ...
[65]
Fern-like Plants Establishing the Understory of the Late Devonian ...
May 8, 2024 · Of the two Late Devonian forests mainly consisting of trees of lycopsids, one is the Frasnian Svalbard forest from Norway [13] and the other is ...<|separator|>
[66]
A new Devonian euthycarcinoid reveals the use of different ... - NIH
Oct 21, 2020 · Myriapods were, together with arachnids, the earliest animals to occupy terrestrial ecosystems, by at least the Silurian.
[67]
Follow the footprints and mind the gaps: a new look at the origin of ...
Oct 19, 2018 · The oldest 'early tetrapods' known from body fossils are Elginerpeton, Obruchevichthys and Webererpeton from the late Frasnian (Vorobyeva 1977; ...Missing: precursors | Show results with:precursors
[68]
A new species of long‐snouted lungfish from the Late Devonian of ...
Jan 9, 2012 · Abstract: A new species of the Late Devonian lungfish Rhinodipterus is described from the Frasnian Gogo Formation, northern Western ...
[69]
[PDF] Sedimentology and vertebrate fossils of the Frasnian Ogre ...
Nov 11, 2020 · Two facies associations, tidallyinfluenced fluvial channels and lateral tidal bars, have been identified in exposures along the Gurova River.
[70]
[PDF] Late Frasnian-Famennian climates based on palynomorph analyses ...
They are generally found not only in continental deposits but also in marine environments where they are deliv- ered by wind and fluvial systems, and there, ...
[71]
Impact of trees and forests on the Devonian landscape and ...
Trees may be considered as biogeomorphic ecosystem engineers. The scope of Devonian trees impact on weathering and soil production is still uncertain.
[72]
Refined conodont stratigraphy at Martenberg (Rhenish Massif ...
Jul 15, 2022 · ... Frasnian Zonation and “Standard Zones”. The literature data (see Table 1) suggest a decline of alpha diversity in Frasnian Subzone 11b ...
[73]
Detecting the late Frasnian semichatovae Event on the deep shelf of ...
Nov 20, 2024 · The semichatovae Event is a mid-late Frasnian (Late Devonian) episode of a major marine transgression that coincides with the spread of the ...
[74]
Anchoring the Late Devonian mass extinction in absolute time by ...
Jul 31, 2020 · The ~ 2,500 kyr estimate is primarily based on three ash beds dated by U–Pb as middle Frasnian to late Famennian in age. These are the Belpre ...
[75]
End-Devonian extinction and a bottleneck in the early evolution of ...
Notably, one of the “Big Five” mass extinctions (11) occurred within the Late Devonian: the Kellwasser event of the Frasnian-Famennian stage boundary (374 Ma) ( ...
[76]
Extent and duration of marine anoxia during the Frasnian ...
Mar 2, 2017 · Marine anoxia is widely thought to have played a role in the end-Frasnian (Late Devonian) mass extinction. In particular, the close ...
[77]
Niche conservatism and ecological change during the Late ...
Apr 5, 2023 · The extinction consisted of two pulses, the Lower Kellwasser event and Upper Kellwasser event, which coincided with global cooling, ocean ...
[78]
Reef development at the Frasnian/Famennian mass extinction ...
Frasnian reefs were dominated by alveolitid and thamnoporid tabulates, and giant phaceloid to aphroid rugosan corals, but with a diversity much lower than seen ...
[79]
[PDF] Evaluating the Frasnian-Famennian mass extinction
Dec 2, 2008 · The Frasnian-Famennian (F-F) mass extinctions saw the global loss of all genera belonging to the tropically confined order Atrypida (and ...
[80]
A volcanic scenario for the Frasnian–Famennian major biotic crisis ...
I take the new U–Pb-derived age of the F–F boundary (estimated as 371.9 Ma) as the principal reference in this article. The main divergence still concerns the ...
[81]
[PDF] OSMIUM ISOTOPIC EVIDENCE AGAINST AN IMPACT AT THE ...
Claeys and Casier (1994) suggest the Siljan Ring structure in Sweden as a potential impact crater producing the spherules based on geochemical similarities ...
[82]
The Variscan orogeny: extent, timescale and the formation of the ...
Apr 29, 2014 · It is not surprising that the Variscan Orogen in western and central Europe coincides spatially with main areas affected by Breton and Sudetic ...
[83]
The Uplift of Armorica and the Bretonian Movements of the Variscan ...
Jun 19, 2025 · In the French Armorican Massif, the Bretonian phase of the Variscan orogeny is characterized by a Late Devonian (380–360 Ma) erosion gap and ...
[84]
Chapter 7 - Paleogeographic Evolution - Alberta Geological Survey
Collision of the western continental margin with the Antler allochthon during the latest Devonian and earliest Carboniferous initiated sedimentation in ...
[85]
[PDF] An Alternative Hypothesis for the Mid-Paleozoic Antler Orogeny in ...
The earliest dated beds of these stratigraphic units are of Frasnian age, early Late Devonian (Sandberg and others, 2003; Ketner, 1998b; Ketner and Ross, 1990).Missing: precursors | Show results with:precursors
[86]
Late Devonian paleogeography in the framework of global plate ...
Invited review article. Late Devonian paleogeography in the framework of global plate tectonics · Highlights · Abstract · Graphical abstract · Introduction · Section ...Invited Review Article · Abstract · Introduction